Metallian Heavy

Kitty Saric and Kenneth Lantz have reformed Sweden’s DECADENCE. The band has a demo called Undergrounder featuring drummer Lawrence Dinamarca (NIGHTRAGE/LOCH VOSTOK/CARNAL FORGE). The group had halted activities in 2013.

Ukraine-based KZOHH’s Trilogy: Burn Out The Remains album is out through Ashen Dominion.

Germany-based death metal band ZOMBIESLUT has issued Massive Lethal Flesh Recovery.

Winnipeg-based DARK MESSIAH has a self-titled demo out now.

Merdumgiriz Records has issued USA-based SOLOMONIC DEMONS’ Malevolent Destiny album on cassette. The idea of Solomonic Demons is to fuse extreme music with the “magical conjurations” described in a grimoire.

The debut album by thrash metal band SINATRAS, called Drowned, will be released on January 6th through Logic Il Logic Records.

DIKTATUR’s L’Agonie d’Un Monde is out through Melancholia Records. The France-based band is described as black metal.

KERKER’s Ban All Lights album is out through Nihilistische KlangKunst.

KRATORNAS is a black metal/grindcore band originally from the Philippines and now based in Canada. The act’s latest demo is called Devoured By Damnation and now out through its own imprint, Grathila Records.

Sweden’s WORMWOOD has signed with Non Serviam Records for its debut album, Ghostlands – Wounds From A Bleeding Earth.

SCALPTURE’s Panzerdoktrin album is out through Final Gate Records. The Germany-based group is described as death metal.

The current line-up of MAYHEM, which is playing the 1994 album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas in full across Europe, will also release De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas Alive on December 15th. The album was recorded live in Norrköping, Sweden last year during the band’s show at the Black Christmass Festival.

Italy-based NERODIA has issued an album called Vanity Unfair through Revalve Records. The band is described as thresh/black metal.

Peru-based EVIL PRIEST has a self-titled demo. Following Caligari Records, the demo is now being also released through Caverna Abismal Records.

KREATOR will headline 2017’s Decibel Magazine Tour. Support will come from OBITUARY, MIDNIGHT and HORRENDOUS.

Ukraine-based Dead Center Productions has shut down citing a lack of sales. The label will continue to sell its existing stock.

Italy-based YARAST’s Tunguska album is out now through Revalve Records. The band plays “Prog death metal.”

IMMOLATION will release a new album, called Atonement, on February 24th through Nuclear Blast.

IMMORTAL — nowadays guitarist Demonaz and drummer Horgh — are in the studio recording a new full-length album, which is due in late 2017 through Nuclear Blast.

Former MORBID ANGEL musicians David Vincent (vocals and bass) and Tim Yeung (drums) have a project with guitarists Bill Hudson (CIRCLE II CIRCLE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, etc.) and Ira Black (METAL CHURCH, LIZZY BORDEN and many more) to play old MORBID ANGEL songs. The project is called I AM MORBID and has already booked shows in Brazil. Subsequently, Janell Emmanuel, the mother of MORBID ANGEL guitarist Trey Azagthoth has posted on a website called Facebook has objected to David Vincent’s new band and its connection to MORBID ANGEL.

Hammerheart will reissue several KONKHRA albums in 2017.

DARKEST HOUR will release its next full-length album, Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora, on March 10ththrough Southern Lord Recordings.

Inspired by KEEL? Singer Kam Lee and guitarist Rick Rozz DeLillo are again back as MASSACRE X. The band has upcoming shows being booked. Drummer Bill Andrews has asserted his trademark of the name however and is threatening legal action. The ‘X’ refers to the band’s tenth iteration.

Brazil-based thrash metal band WOSLOM has posted a new music video for the song Underworld of Aggression’ off the latest album A Near Life Experience released earlier this year through Shinigami Records for Brazil and the rest of the world by Italian label Punishment 18.

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has told a reporter that his manager and SKID ROW’s manager are “talking.” While Bach has long requested a reunion with his former band-mates the rest of the band has not been as forthcoming. SKID ROW is currently fronted by former DRAGONFORCE singer ZP Theart.

Dutch band SLECHTVALK has issued a demo called Where Wandering Shadows And Mists Collide.

Because other labels are ashamed of their signings! Caverna Abismal Record “is proud to announce” that it has signed Portugal-based VILES VITAE for the release of its debut EP, which is entitled IV.

THE HAUNTED has re-signed with Century Media Records. A new album is due In 2017.

Rising Nemesis Records will issue Reign Of Terror, the third album from German death metal band ACRANIUS this January.

Doom metal band DEATH METAL POPE has issued a demo called Harvest.

Nihilistische KlangKunst/War Against Yourself Records have issued TRAUER’s A Walk Into The Twilight. The black metal band is based in Germany.

Pathologically Explicit Recordings has two new releases. DECOMPOSITION OF ENTRAILS from Russia is back with a new CD entitled Pestilential Synthesis. MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION from Japan is presenting two new songs as advance of the third full-length CD which will be out in 2017.

Germany-based CENTRATE has a demo called Ritual. The thrash metal band was founded in 2010.

Norway-based metalcore act MELTDOWN has signed a distribution deal with Wormholedeath for its debut album, Answers.

Germany-based FALL OF CARTHAGE’s The Longed-For Reckoning is out this month through MDD Records.

PARADOX is reforming in its original line-up after 28 years to play European shows. The band is Charly Steinhauer (vocals/guitar), Markus Spyth (guitar), Roland Stahl (bass) and Axel Blaha (drums).

Metavania Music has released VOMITRON’s new album, NESessary Evil. Clocking in at over an hour it features metalized versions of original Nintendo video game soundtracks.

SUICIDE SILENCE will release a new and self-titled album on February 24th through Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The album was produced by notable mallcore producer Ross Robinson.


Metallian Hard

Austria-based doom metal band LUCIFER'S FALL has an album called Cursed & Damned through Nine Records.

Albania-based metal band CROSSBONES has a studio album called WWIII through Nadir Music Genova.

January 2017 will see the worldwide release of the EP Vengeance Of The Slain by FORSAKEN AGE on Metal Hell Records. The band is based in Auckland, New Zealand and is compared to RUNNING WILD.

After a hiatus of over ten years, Brazil's blackened heavy metal band ELIZABETHAN WALPURGA returns with a stream of its debut full-length Walpurgisnacht. It is the follow-up to its 2001 demo Desire. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Nenel Lucena at Mr. Prog Studio. The album’s artwork was created by Deafbird Design Lab.

Century Media Records has announced that on February 24th it will issue Inception, an album by SANCTUARY recorded prior to that band’s official debut, Refuge Denied.

HAMMERFALL has lost another drummer to the very corporate “family life” and replaced him with former THERION man Johan Koleberg.

The Germany-based THUNDER AND LIGHTNING has issued a demo called The Ages Will Turn.

The Germany-based heavy rock band SPITEFUEL has issued a single called Sleeping With Wolves. The 3-track Single contains the title track to the new album, which will be entitled Second To None and released in the spring.

Suspiria Records has signed NORUNDA. The band features Rubén Cuerdo (ex-BLAST OFF). An album is due this year.

Adam Sagan, of CIRCLE II CIRCLE and INTO ETERNITY, has died due to T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma cancer. He was 36 years old.

PÄNZER, featuring Schmier of DESTRUCTION, has recruited Pontus Norgren of HAMMERFALL and V.O. Pulver (G.U.R.D., POLTERGEIST, etc.) and is working on a new album.

OPETH and GOJIRA will conduct a mini-tour of the USA this May.

Minotauro Records has issued Italy-based CHRONIC HANGOVER’s Nero Inferno Italiano album. The band is described as stoner/doom metal.

L.A. GUNS singer Phil Lewis has left the band. He and guitarist Tracii Guns had announced an album for the band for 2017 through Frontiers. The label and guitarist subsequently insisted that Lewis was leaving the other version of L.A. GUNS that has been in action in parallel to this line-up.

Former BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION singer London LeGrand has a new project called BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION GÖTEBORG. He is now joined by guitarist John "JB" Bergqvist (DISREGARD), bassist Rodolfo "Rude" Montenegro and drummer Peter "Pan" Ottosson. An album is expected in late 2017.

Sweden-based heavy metal band MEAN STREAK has signed a worldwide management deal with Rock’N’Growl Management/Promotion. The band has completed the recording for its new demo, called Blind Faith, with Peter Andersson, Andy LaGuerin and Thomas Johansson at The Panic Room. The album is produced by Peter Andersson and Max Norman and mixed by Max Norman.

Czech Republic-based ET MORIEMUR has issued an album called Ex Nihilo In Nihilum through Minotauro Records. The band plays doom metal.

SPECTRAL’s Arctic Sunrise album is out now through Boersma Records. The band is based in Germany.

Former metal band ENSLAVED has lost its keyboardist Keyboardist Herbrand Larsen.

CHILDREN OF BODOM will perform most of its debut album, Something Wild, on a European tour next year to commomorate its twentieth anniversary.

ENEMY REMAINS, featuring former FATES WARNING drummer Steve Zimmerman, will release an album called No Faith In Humanity on January 20th.

Having joined the band in 1980 Keyboardist Mark Stanway has quit MAGNUM due to differences with the rest of the pomp band.

Progressive metal band STARBYNARY will issue an album called Divina Commedia: Inferno, which will be released this winter through Revalve Records.

Italy-based SANDNESS' second album is entitled Higher & Higher and out now through Sleaszy Rider.

Brazil-based PERC3PTION has an album called Once And For All through Shinigami Records.

ICED EARTH is in the studio recording a new album, called Incorruptible (originally supposed to be called The Judas Goat) for a late spring release. The band’s leader Jon Schaffer is also completing his Indiana-based studio Independence Hall.

NWOBHM band CHATEAUX has had its catalogue issued in digital format by Metal Nation Records, which is run by original TYGERS OF PAN TANG vocalist and Ex Neat Records owner, Jess Cox. The catalogue has also simultaneously been released on CD by No Remorse Records in Greece and Classic Metal Records in Brazil.

Michael Landauer (a.k.a. Mick Zane) of MALICE died in December of brain cancer.

Italian progressive metal band FROZEN SAND has set January 19th as the release date for its demo, entitled Fractals: A Shadow Out Of Lights.

US metal band REVERENCE has signed with Rock’N’Growl promotion for Europe. REVERENCE’S new, and as yet untitled album, will be released sometime in 2017. US and European shows are to be announced soon.

Could a show with MOD and Ted Nugent be far behind? Surely Dave Mustaine has expressed admiration for some right-wing racist loon this month as well.


Metallian Demos

ARATRON - DARKNESS IS COMING
Aratron is a one man band from The Netherlands formed way back in 2000. Maurice Sas split up with band-mates in 2002 but resurrected the band in 2008 and has released two demos prior to Darkness Is Coming. Still going as a one-man band and session members DIS is eight songs long with Sas doing the guitars and bass but getting help for lead guitars on six of the songs, that help being in the form of Michel Wijngaard. Ronald van Baren on vocals and Damien Kerpentier on drums round out the musicians on this release. Whilst describing the style as death metal the opener, The Dark Curse, is more straight up speedy black metal. After Primal Shrine and by the third song, Slow Decay, the pace slows down and a thicker and heavier sound starts to emerge. The song has an ‘80s or ‘90s doomy death feel to it. Raise The Black is a shorter and faster paced song. The Outsider is mostly grinding. Driven By Evil speedy black metal again, perhaps befitting the old-school tag. Poisoned Soul is as chaotic or more as the rest of the album. The Glory Of Chaos is the closer and at nearly seven minutes closes the album well, fast and heavy, black and death minus the final two minutes which are outro like. Welcome the darkness ataratron1.bandcamp.com – Anna Tergel